שמואל א, פרק ל׳, פסוק ג׳

Returning home is usually a moment of rest, but for David and his men, the arrival brings a shocking scene of absolute destruction. The primary approach among commentators is that they find their city completely ruined and burned to the ground.

The tragedy goes far beyond the physical loss of their town. Along with the heavy disaster of seeing their homes destroyed by fire, they discover that their families are missing. As [אברבנאל] explains, the women and children have all been taken captive, carried away entirely as spoils and plunder.